Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has reiterated his resolve to form a non-BJP, non-Congress coalition of regional parties — the Federal Front — which he believes will play a key role in steering the nation.
“I am in no hurry for its formation. It is now in the works. We are engaged in parleys with various parties and it won’t be long before it takes concrete shape,” he said.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief, who has been making a case for the Federal Front, said, “My objective is to chart out a new economic agenda through the Front, which will make a difference to the way we address some of the core economic issues including the agriculture sector.”
New plans for development
Talking about Telanagana’s flagship Rythu Bandhu and Rythu Bheema schemes, Rao said they are now attracting national attention. Several states are keen to adopt these schemes and have made enquires about them.
According to reports, the Union government is also contemplating a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for the farm sector, on the lines of these schemes.
The implementation of such a DBT scheme ahead of the General Elections in 2019 assumes importance as there has been criticisms of how various governments have handled the issues relating to the farm sector.
Citing recent reports, KCR stated, “We are aware there are huge reserves in the country lying unutilised. It is not good for the country which has a huge development agenda.” He added, “As per reports, the RBI has about ₹11 lakh crore in reserves and ₹8 lakh crore reserves are with Maharatna companies. These could be better deployed for the country’s economy growth.”
Mentioning about the appointment of former RBI governor Bimal Jalan to head a committee to look into the economic capital framework, Rao felt, “The country needs to look at development from a different approach as the traditional ways are under stress and are being questioned.”
In for the long haul
On his efforts to bring Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM and TMC Chief, and Biju Patnaik, Odisha CM and BJD Chief, into the Federal Front fold, Rao said, “The Federal Front is being looked into from a different perspective. I never wanted any assurance. In fact, it is coalition in works and talks are underway. There is no urgency or timeline for its formation.”
“Our immediate goal would be to come out with a new economic agenda,” he said. For instance, we can develop crop colonies and support farm output with enhanced MSP, he explained.
Mentioning about his resounding victory during the recent state elections, Rao predicted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party will be routed in the next elections.
He was critical of Naidu’s functioning and questioned some of the claims he had been making about developing IT and other infrastructure projects in Hyderabad during his regime.